Overwhelming response to virtual patrol

Nearly 45,000 people took to Twitter last night
to follow Bay of Plenty Police on a virtual ride-along with
an overwhelmingly positive response.

The patrol ran from
7pm to 2am providing a real time snapshot of policing across
Western Bay and advice to encourage safe celebrations.

The most retweeted event of the night was a car which
struck a house, knocked down a tree and landed on its roof
in Papamoa. Miraculously the driver and his passenger walked
away with relatively minor injuries. Alcohol is believed to
have been a factor.

The majority of the other incidents
attended by the 'Tweet Beat' were alcohol-related such as
drink-driving and disorder.

Area Commander Inspector
Clifford Paxton said: "It was a first for us so we had no
idea how much interest we would get and were quite amazed by
the response. Throughout the entire shift we received a
constant flow of messages commenting on the patrol and
showing their support for the policing operation. Policing
can be a thankless task so it was good for the staff who
were working last night to hear the positive feedback from
the Twitter community."

Tweets came from as far afield as
the Netherlands. Some were clearly local with comments such
as 'we have the coolest police in the country' and others
simply acknowledged the tough job that the police have such
as 'you guys are brilliant, brave AS'.

"Tonight has
proved how useful a tool social media can be for
communication and we would certainly consider more virtual
patrols in the future," said Inspector Paxton.

Although
the Twitter team were kept busy throughout the shift, Police
are praising the behaviour of the majority of the public
across the Bay of Plenty District.

Prevention Manager
Inspector Scott Fraser said: "Yet again the Bay of Plenty
has proved to be a fantastic place for families to see in
the New Year. Most of the revellers were in great spirits
and looking out for another. As always we were disappointed
that there were small groups of people who let themselves
down. Not only does it concern us that nearly all of the
incidents we had to deal were alcohol-related, a significant
number involved unsupervised youngsters.

"There were way
too many teenagers who had access to alcohol and were
intoxicated to the point where they placed themselves at
risk."

Unlike the torrent of rain that washed out last
year's celebrations, this year brought fine sunny conditions
and the potential for increased disorder and arrests.
However the crowds were very well-behaved in the main and as
at 1.45am arrest figures were: Western Bay 47, Rotorua 27,
Taupo 13 and Eastern Bay 4.

Supposedly, Winston Peters’ victory in Northland has exposed the simmering dissatisfaction with the government that exists out in the provinces. Yet it remains to be seen whether this defeat will have much significance – and not simply because if and when Labour resumes business as usual in the Northland seat at the next election, Peters’ hold on it could simply evaporate.

On Saturday, National’s electorate vote declined by 7,000 votes, as the 9,000 majority it won last September turned into a 4,000 vote deficit – mainly because Labour supporters followed the nod and wink given by Labour leader Andrew Little, and voted tactically for Peters. In the process, Labour’s vote went down from nearly 9,000 votes six months ago, to only 1,315 on Saturday. More>>

The National Party Government has today revealed that the national environmental report topics for this year will, incredibly, exclude New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Green Party said today. More>>

ALSO:

Reports that German privacy laws may have contributed to the Germanwings air crash have prompted New Zealand’s Privacy Commissioner to reassure the public that the Privacy Act is no impediment to medical practitioners notifying appropriate authorities to a pilot’s health concerns. More>>

The settlement includes a $13.5 million payment the government made in June 2013, as well as land in the Taranaki region. The settlement also includes four culturally significant sites, the Waipakari Reserve, Te Kohinga Reserve, Te Ngutu o te Manu and Te Poho o Taranaki. More>>

Supposedly, New Zealand’s destiny lies in Asia, and that was one of Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s rationales for his bungled reforms at MFAT. OK. So, if that’s the case why didn’t Prime Minister John Key attend the state funeral on Sunday of Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew? More>>

The panel choosing the flag options has no visual artists at all. Now, I’ve kerned the odd ligature in my time and I know my recto from my French curve so I thought I’d offer a few suggestions before they get past their depth. More>>

ALSO:

In releasing two reports today, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has highlighted a number of significant problems with the way in which Police deal with people who are detained in Police cells. More>>

The complaints follow recent public allegations about GCSB activities. The complaints, and these public allegations, raise wider questions regarding the collection, retention and sharing of communications data. More>>

ALSO:

Professor Jane Kelsey: ‘As anticipated, the deal gives foreign investors from the TPPA countries special rights, and the power to sue the government in private offshore tribunals for massive damages if new laws, or even court decisions, significantly affected their bottom line’. More>>

Gordon Campbell: The myth of competence that’s been woven around Steven Joyce – the Key government’s “Minister of Everything” and “Mr Fixit” – has been disseminated from high-rises to hamlets, across the country... More>>